12 Months
by LookUpI'mThere
Summary: First Blacklist fic, post ep 10. 12 months is a long time to be away and when Red returns he meets a very different Lizzie...
1. Chapter 1

Part of her wondered if she left it whoever was ringing to doorbell would just leave. Upon the second ring she realised they were a persistent ass and she was going to have to get up and answer it. She kept her blanket still wrapped round her and trudged to the door.

"Hello Lizzie," he smiled when she opened the door.

Red. It can't actually be him, Red was here.

"Can I come in?" politely he asked.

She stepped aside to let him into her new apartment. Pushing the door closed she gave herself a second to compose herself. She could hear him take off his coat and take in a breath. Before he could say anything she had punched him square in the face. Not many things surprised Raymon Reddington, but Elizabeth Keene punching him in the face did.

"I'll get you some ice," she told him before leaving him, slightly dazed, in her hallway.

While she got the ice from the freezer, he relaxed onto one of the breakfast bar chairs she had.

"Not quite the welcome I'd been expecting," he joked, despite his slight worry that she'd broken his nose.

Walking round to help him she asked, "What did you expect me to do? Throw you a party?" As if she could read his mind she added, "If I'd wanted to have broken your nose I would've broken your nose." As she leant over with a wet cloth to clean his face of the blood, she was well aware her hand was resting on his thigh.

In an attempt to keep the blood off of it she began to unbutton his waistcoat but was interrupted by Red saying, "Buy the man a drink first."

"Just hold this," she ignored him, replacing the hand pressing the ice onto his nose with his.

She continued to unbutton his waistcoat before proceeding to lean even closer in as she pushed it off of his shoulders.

"I like your new place, although it does look like an IKEA catalogue threw up in here," he criticised.

"I can still break your nose remember," she replied causing him to smile.

"Where have you been?" she asked, frustrated, after a moment of hesitation.

"Let's order in some food," Red suggested, completely disregarding her previous question.

"I'm not hungry," she replied.

"Chinese?"

She rolled her eyes and ignored him.

"You've lost weight, a lot of it," he tried to justify himself.

"I'm surprised you even remember what I look like," she snapped. "And I haven't; it's been a whole year a lot of people lose weight in that time."

"You're clearly underweight, Agent Keene."

"Don't call me that!" she shouted, not at him necessarily just to the world in general. "I'm not Agent Keene anymore. It's been 7 months since I've been Agent Keene."

The two stared across at one another across the breakfast bar, the wet cloth now on the table again and silence once again filling the tense air.  
"Winnie the Pooh?" he asked in reference to her blanket.

"Tom took all the other blankets when he left. Same gave this to me when I was little, he used to wrap me in it when I was upset."

"What happened with Tom?"

"You know everything about everyone, especially me so why are you asking me these questions?"

"I don't know everything and I don't know nearly as much as I want to about you." She sighed but before she could really begin to think properly again he asked her, "Why did you ask if I was your father?"

"If you were going to leave me I wanted to know for sure that you weren't. Cooper and Ressler and...Tom suggested that you might be."

"So Chinese?" he asked smiling.

She wouldn't be admitting this to Red anytime soon but this take out was the first proper food she'd had for at least two months. He'd over ordered in the hope she'd either eat a lot now or save the rest as leftovers.

She was willing to admit one thing, "I've lost 29 pounds."

"Thank you for being honest with me."

"I didn't find out until they weighed me at the hospital."

"You were at the hospital?"

She pulled up her sleeves to reveal her bandage wrapped arms.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she looked up at him. Red was good at hiding emotions, he'd spent his whole life doing it, but there if even just for a second he let his guard down. Pain passed across his face before he returned to his normal expressional face.

"Dembe told me you'd been in hospital but he wouldn't tell me why."

"I wanted to call you, but I didn't know where you were."

Red attempted to swallow his guilt but he couldn't muster the strength to. Instead he walked round to her, who despite everything had not cried this evening, he wondered if it was because she'd spent too long crying about this already. He leant down and kissed her forehead.

"I'm sorry Lizzie," he whispered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for reading, ****you have no idea what it means to me :) A few comments to some of the reviewers:**

**To MarinaB and Jessahme Wren: ****Thank you- I really appreciate that :)**

**Rebeccabraxton and to the anonymous guest: ****It's not going to be a father-daughter thing because I just don't see them like but thank you and I hope you like the rest even if it doesn't follow the direction you would like**

**All of the reviews were really appreciated and I'd always love some more :) Hope you enjoy chapter 2 (sorry it's a little short)**

Her eyelids fluttered open and adjusted to the light. She slid up from under the covers. She couldn't remember going to bed or even falling asleep.

"Red," she called out.  
She felt like an idiot doing, regardless she was hopeful he'd answer.

"Yes Elizabeth?" He asked, standing half in the room and half still in the hall.

"Did you...did you bring me to bed?"

"I carried you up from the couch, you fell asleep while we were watching TV."

She wondered how he'd had the strength but as her hands traced across her sides, easily counting each rib, she remembered just how thin she'd gotten.

"Would you like some breakfast?" He asked, interrupting her reverie.

'I'm not hungry,' her mind immediately thought. It had been her first reaction for months. It was still her desire not to but she knew Red wasn't going to take that as an answer.

"I don't think we have anything in," she said, still hopeful of avoiding food.

"I went out and bought some stuff," he replied calmly and coolly, well aware of her attempts.

"Porridge?" She asked; if she was to eat something she may as well like it.

"And honey."

Ignoring the questions her head was asking, like how he knew that was her favourite breakfast, she followed him downstairs. Too thankful over his return she was no longer willing to question him. Sitting down she watched as he elegantly wandered the kitchen making her breakfast. To be honest she enjoyed being waited on.

"How do you take your coffee?"

"I'd prefer tea," she replied. "There should be some in the cupboard above you head," she added.  
He fished out a tea bag from the battered cardboard box. Unsure of how she liked it he got out the milk and sugar. Placing the mug beside her he handed her the bowl, to her surprise and enjoyment he'd used the honey to draw a smiley face in the porridge. She giggled and looked up at him to see him smiling.

"I've missed your smile," he admitted. Realising his surprising honesty he quickly changed the subject, "We're going out. You've not been out in a very long time and we need to change that."

"How can you go out? Practically all of American law enforcement is looking for you," she reminded him.

And then it hit her; he was a criminal that she was harbouring in her home. She should hand him in but looking down at the honey smile he'd made her, she pushed that thought away.

"I can avoid a few rookies," he boasted. "And you have no Disney films so we're going to have buy you some."

She turned back to her breakfast and began eat.

"I don't know how you can eat that stuff," he remarked. "It looks like paste."

"Try some," she offered him a spoonful.

"No."

"Try it!" She insisted.

"No!"

"Try it," she repeated, walking round the table to his seat. "Try it," she said, the spoon an inch from his mouth.

As he leaned forward enveloping the spoon in his mouth their eyes were transfixed by one another.

"Still tastes like paste," he commented after swallowing.

She sighed audibly before returning to her seat.

"Why do we need Disney films?"

"Key to every recovery: good food, good company, rest and Disney," he answered.

She objected to the word recovery but realised she needed to accept his help or she was never going to feel better. Tea and honey covered porridge did help a lot.

"There's an old CD shop not far that also sells DVDs, we could take a walk there," he suggested.

"I'd like that," she replied with more honesty than she'd expected.

"Great," he smiled.

**Have a good day :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Just a massive thank you for still reading :) and to everyone who reviewed you are awesome :) Just a little note to L J Groundwater:**

**First of all- awesome name! Thanks for the comment that strikes me now but I'm glad you're enjoying it :)**

**Enjoy Chapter 3- it will get slightly faster soon but it's still a bit slow... Oh and some Frozen spoilers**

Before lunch she began to undo the bandages covering her forearms. Knocking before leaning round the door, Red interrupted her.

"What would you like to ea-" Red began before stopping. "Let me help," he concluded his sentence, entering the bathroom uninvited.

"Really I can do it-" she tried in vain to defend some of her privacy.

"Let me," he said, gently holding her wrists in each palm.

Considering how stubborn he was and the fact she knew there'd be bigger battles to fight she gave in to his request. Delicately he untied the bandages to reveal her pale, scarred skin. Too scared to meet his eyes, worrying about the judgment they'd hold her gaze remained on her arms. He released one wrist to pull up her chin.

"You're beautiful," he whispered before planting a kiss on her forehead. Returning to his normal attitude he said, "You need better skin lotion."

"It's fine!" she retorted while he glared at the bottle in his hand.

"I'll make sure Dembe buys you some better stuff for tomorrow."

She sighed and debated punching him again, before she got distracted by his large hands massaging the lotion into her arms. She was beginning to wonder if he had noticed his hands moving up her arms.

"I think you're done," she nudged him.

He avoided her eyes as he moved over to the sink. She leaned over and rolled up his sleeves in an attempt to keep his shirt reasonably dry. She knew she shouldn't put herself so close to him but to be honest she liked it.

She was beginning to question where he'd learnt to cook before realising it was better if she didn't question him. Or anything about him. He handed her a bowl with a fork sticking out the side.

Before she had a chance to ask he said, "Its vietnamese; just carrots, chicken and some other stuff. Tuck in."

He sat down on the couch beside her and turned on Frozen. Her scepticism faded as she watched the movie, as did the barriers she'd put in place between the two of them.

"Are you crying?" he asked, her head on his torso and his arm around her shoulder.

"No. It's just Hans is such an arse," she replied.

He passed her the tissue box.

The pair continued watching films before he asked, "Dinner?"

"Takeout?"

"Again?" he asked.

Sitting up she said, "My house, my food-"

"My money," he reminded her.

"I can break your nose," she retorted.

"Shame there's no pen to hand," he smiled before pushing up from the couch. "Thai?"

"Sounds lovely," she smiled.

**Hope you enjoyed- would love a review :) Have a good day :)**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello again :) Thanks for your continued support and all the lovely reviews; this story will pick up some pace soon. I've not see any new episodes after Anslo Garrick so this is just going to continue as before. A note to everybody, especially Rebeccabraxton: I am in the UK so I won't see any of the new episodes until mid February :( Enjoy chapter 4 :)**

Rolling out of bed and slamming onto the floor was not how Liz had really wanted to wake up that morning. Groaning she rose from the floor and wandered down the stairs. She was still in the leggings and long sleeved shirt she'd been wearing yesterday. Rummanging through the cupboard she debated having porridge again before remembering how much Red hated it. Deciding on pancakes she started work.

...

"Red," she said from the door. "Red," she sighed at the end of his bed. "Oi sleepyhead," she resorted to kicking the bed as he did.

He grunted as he woke up.

"Morning lazy," she smiled, handing him a plate of pancakes.

"Thanks," he replied watching her sit down at the end of his bed.

"Syrup?" he asked.

Passing him the bottle of maple syrup she asked, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah I did thanks," he smiled.

"The spare room okay for you?" she asked, gobbling up her pancakes surprised at how good they tasted.

"It's lovely as are these, I didn't know you could make pancakes."

"Don't flatter me; I just followed the instructions on the side of the box."

After a moment she said, "He called me a whore when he left. Yelling about how I'm never here and who I was sleeping with. He said he couldn't deal with the secrets anymore. And then told me to be gone by the next night."

"You don't have to talk to me about, Tom," he told her.

"I know I don't."

Silence fell in the room as the pair ate breakfast but it wasn't uncomfortable, far from it, rather a sweet kind of air. They both savoured the simplicity of that moment; they were just two friends eating pancakes.

...

After that the day continued much the way the previous had done. She could feel herself getting better, stronger. After a morning of movies he insisted on a walk before lunch.

"Come on," he said.

"No," she groaned too comfortable resting in his body.

"Come on," he insisted, slipping out from underneath her. "Come on."

She extended her arms and he pulled her up quickly. Too quickly, much quicker than she had anticipated. Suddenly they were touching; her thighs on his, his chest on hers, their lips so close she swore she could taste the scotch. Extending her feet and resting her weight on her tiptoes would be all it'd take for her lips to cover his. She internally cursed herself for thinking such a thing but that thought abandoned her when she realised his eyes were focused on her lips. It felt like they were there for eternity, even if in reality it lasted only a few seconds. Truth be told neither of them knew how long they were there; they weren't exactly focusing on the clock. She instead focused on the desire that now glazed Red's pupils. He made the first move: reluctantly stepping backwards and announcing: "You won't need a coat; it's warmer today." As he walked into the hall she exhaled and composed herself. She smirked when she saw him put on the fedora she was all too familiar with.

"That hat is ridiculous," she told him.

"It's not," he defended it. "Would you rather I wore a fez?"

"Don't diss fezzes; fezzes are cool," she smiled striding elegantly out the door.

He stole a look at her gorgeous ass before following suit.

**If you got the Doctor Who reference, I love you :) Comments would be lovely, have an awesome day :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey. Thanks for the continued support. I've not seen the new episodes yet so this story continues as normal. Hope you enjoy chapter five :)**

Forgetting the incident both had mentally called 'the almost kiss', there was an unspoken agreement not to talk about it. That was their rule really, life continued and they didn't talk about the constant tension. The longer he stayed the more she could see her figure reappearing and the sexier he thought she was becoming. There was more touching, definitely more touching, and they invaded each other's personal space constantly without question. As she got stronger and more comfortable with him she relaxed with him, he made her laugh constantly. She in return put him into fits of giggles when she danced and sang along to Disney.

"You have a terrible music taste," he announced as he fingered the CD cases on her shelf.

"Hey! I don't," she defended.

"Taylor Swift? Please, I thought you were better than that."

She kicked him, hard, in the shin. When the pain was clear on his face she said, "Don't diss my music taste."

As she walked away he latched his arms round her waist and turned her to face him. "No apology?" he asked as she pondered once more how easy it'd be to kiss him.

"You're a guest in my flat remember, don't push it," she reminded him before using her hands to unlock his.

She spent a second too long just holding his hands, a fact that wasn't missed by either of them. Realising her mistake she left quickly and quietly to go have her shower.

...

"Get dressed," she told him.

"I am dressed," he said turning to see her standing at the bottom of the stairs wrapped simply in a towel. He swallowed before repeating, "I am dressed."

She smiled, impressed she could have that kind of effect on a man like Raymond Reddington. "No I mean we're going out out. To a bar, I want a drink."

As if to tell her he wasn't beaten, as he passed her on the stairs he placed his hand on the small of back and whispered close to her ear, "You smell fantastic."

Blood rushed to her cheeks as he wondered up stairs. She waited to hear his door click before returning to her room to get dressed.

...

Looking in the mirror she wondered if the backless black dress was too much, but before she could change her mind or her outfit Red had pushed open her door.

"You're supposed to knock," she told him.

She realised he wasn't listening as his eyes roved up and down her.

"Wear your navy pumps," he said simply before returning down stairs.

After slipping on his suggestion she looked at herself in the mirror once more. She looked at the way the black fabric hugged her hips and chest, the way it hang effortlessly, stopping halfway down her thigh. She wondered why she was doing this for him; shaving her legs, putting on make up, wearing this. She hadn't dressed up for Tom in years. She shook all thoughts out of her head and pushed on downstairs.

"Where do you want to go?" He asked.

"I was kind of hoping you'd know a nice place," she replied hopefully.

He offered her his arm which she took and he lead her off.

...

Entering the lounge of the classy 5 star hotel in the centre of town, he turned to her and said, "They have a fantastic basement which contains a shark tank."

"Sounds...odd, but very you," she smiled.

She followed him down to the swanky bar that did indeed have a shark tank with real sharks. She hopped onto one of the bar stools and was joined by Red with two glasses of white wine.

"Cheers," he said clinking their glasses together.

After a greedy slurp she asked, "what are we celebrating?"

"Your improving health?"

"And to Disney and good company."

"Cheers," he said once more smiling.

They began to talk and she found herself opening up like never before. They talked about first jobs, best kisses, favourite foods; both carefully avoiding topics such as Tom or work. His foot had begun to stroke the inside of her calf; an action she let him continue.

"Come on," she said clutching his hand. "Let's go somewhere fun."

Holding his rough hands she pulled him out of the hotel and down the street.

"Where are we going?" He asked as they walked hand in hand down the street.

"No idea. Know anywhere fun?"

Her tipsiness was showing through as she giggled and smiled. She really was beautiful.

"I know somewhere you might like."

...

The karaoke bar was hidden in a alleyway, the door framed underneath a green neon sign. She sat down at a small table in amongst the others that all faced a small, badly lit stage. A few couples and some women in tight dresses braved the dance floor. He passed a beer over her shoulder before sitting down next to her.

"I know you'd rather drink a bottled beer than anything fancier," he told her.

The amber liquid of his tumbler did look inviting but he was right, she wasn't a girl for fancy.

Time passed, people of varying levels of drunkness sang (or warbled), and as ever he made her laugh.

"Going up there?" He asked.

She giggled replying, "No, no. Not nearly drunk enough."

Downing his scotch he said, "I am."

Sliding past her he went up to the DJ, leaving her bemused but entertained. He wasn't really doing this, was he?

"Ladies grab your partners and drag them out onto the dance floor cos we've got a slow one," the DJ said over the mike.

'Oh my god,' she thought. 'Oh my god!'

Sultry, low and so sexily he sang,

"You're just too good to be true,  
Can't take my eyes off of you."

His eyes fixed on her, she stopped laughing not breaking their gaze across the bar. Shakily she took another sip of her beer in an attempt to calm down. She wanted him to stop but also to never ever stop. Soon it was over and he returned to his seat.

"Didn't know you liked Frankie Valli," she said in an attempt to diffuse the tension.

"Your turn," he smiled cheekily.

"What?" She exclaimed.

"I did my turn, it's your turn now," he said seriously but still smiling.

"No."

"Yes!"

"No! Red I'm not fighting with you about this."

"If I get you another beer."

"Still no Red."

"Oh come on Lizzie."

"Piss off."

He loved pissing her off, well he just loved everything about her. He knew she'd sing, he could see she wanted to really.

"Maybe just one song," she suggested after a few minutes.

...

The pavement looked like silver with the rain and the amount of alcohol the pair had consumed. He had his arm round her waist; pretending she needed to be supported but really he just liked holding her, and she let him because she liked being held by him.

"I can't believe I sang Taylor Swift in a karaoke bar!" She exclaimed excitedly smiling.

He laughed with her; deep and low, making her knees go like jelly.

"Wow," he said as she slipped a little.

Pulling her up they were suddenly touching. It wasn't like before, neither were moving and maybe it was because of the alcohol but they felt braver. She made the first move; pushing her lips onto his, covering them entirely. Pushing back against her she moaned as his tongue slid into her mouth and his arms round her waist. She shivered slightly when one of his hands ventured down to her thigh. Eventually the remaining sense Red had kicked in and he pulled away, but he didn't move far. Their foreheads rested against each other's as they panted.

"You feel cold," he said finally, slipping his jacket off and wrapping it round her shoulders.

She took his hand in hers and pulled him down the road. They were quiet all the way back to her flat. Upon arriving at her door she fiddled with keys still smiling. Throwing his jacket on the couch she turned to him.

"What?" he asked as she bit her lip in a sexy way that made Red want to pin her against the wall right there and then.

"Dance with me," she replies extending her hand for him to take.

"You should get to bed," he replied stepping closer to grasp her hand lightly.

"What can't you dance?" she teased.

"I can dance," he whispered in her ear after pulling her closer so there was no longer anything between the pair.

She tried to hide her surprised; stretching her toes up to wrap her arms around his neck, resting her head on his shoulder. With his arms around her waist he swayed her gently, enjoying the close proximity they'd now adopted. She moved away first.

"Night Red," she smiled before placing a small kiss on his cheek.

She left him in the living room alone.

**Hope you enjoyed. In my head she sang 22 by Taylor Swift :) Check out the music cos it's good. Have a nice day, leave a comment below :)**


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